If NBC is breaking even, that is much better than was predicted. I seem to remember some doom & gloom that these days the Olympics was a losing proposition for a network. The Summer less than the winter, but both losers. Break even is good! And the games are not over. The final totals are not in yet.

Apparently more people here watched the opening ceremonies than in many previous Olympics. This Games is getting a lot of attention because of the swimmers as well as the gymnasts, and I think because so many Americans are Anglophiles and love seeing stuff about Britain. The fact that William and Kate are often seen in the stands might also help, as well as the fact that tennis is being held at Wimbledon.

How great to hear about the meeting. I hope she'll meet with them again after the conclusion of all the events. After all, as you point out, this is a thrill for her, too. Man, what a year for her to become royalty! She gets to attend all the Olympics events. Including that tennis final match, at Wimbledon itself!

Apparently more people here watched the opening ceremonies than in many previous Olympics. This Games is getting a lot of attention because of the swimmers as well as the gymnasts, and I think because so many Americans are Anglophiles and love seeing stuff about Britain. The fact that William and Kate are often seen in the stands might also help, as well as the fact that tennis is being held at Wimbledon.

NBCSportsPR @NBCSportsPR has been tweeting viewership updates galore, such as:

189 million have watched the Olympics on the nets of NBCU through 8 days, 4 mil ahead of Beijing, which set record with 215 million viewers
12:33 PM - 4 Aug 12

With most-watched Opening Ceremony in Summer Olympics history (40.7 mil) each night has at least 28.5 mil., a first for a Summer Olympics
12:33 PM - 4 Aug 12

Through 8 nights 34.5 mil avg viewers and 19.2 hh rating on NBC is best for a non-U.S. Summer Games since Montreal in 1976
12:34 PM - 4 Aug 12

Every night of London Olympics tops same nights from Beijing Games in viewership and HH rating. #Olympics
12:34 PM - 4 Aug 12

Early on, London had more NBC viewers even than Atlanta:

28.7 mil for the Olympics last night on NBC, most for the first night of Summer Olympic competition on record. Atlanta (26.3 mil) #Olympics
12:17 PM - 29 Jul 12

Some clarifications about NBC, ratings, and making money: The most recent statement from NBC is that they came close to breaking even and may possibly even make some profits. Don't believe NBC for a second, this is just bunkum directed at angry investors. Most ads are already sold. Whatever money they're going to make off these Olympics is all mostly made and set in stone. There are last minute ad buys, but with so many of the marquee events with American contenders over, if they didn't make a profit already on these, they're not about to start now. Even now, NBC has started replacing live Olympics coverage with interviews and specials on Michael Phelps to try to get its ratings momentum going, now that their biggest star, Phelps, will no longer be competing.

Now there are some ways the huge ratings could have helped NBC in the future. For instance, when selling ads for Sochi Olympics, NBC could try to use the success of the London Olympics as an example. This will be scoffed at. General Anglophilia and the very tight relationships between the US and the UK fueled the ratings for the London Olympics. Well guess what? The Sochi Olympics will take place in a country the US has had a frigid relationship with, even now. To make things worse, NBC coverage have been fanning the anti-Russian sentiments during the women's gymnastics coverage. Skating coverage has been doing that for years, too. Remember when that little toad Jay Leno mocked Irina Slutskaya's last name? Americans in general will not be feeling the same warm fuzzies they have towards the UK hosts when Sochi rolls around. If anything, the success of the London Olympics' ratings in the US portends under-performing ratings for Sochi. Another driver of the NBC ratings is the unprecedented Olympic star Michael Phelps. There is no equivalent in the Winter Olympics (or the Summer Olympics, really). As for the Rio Olympics, the good news is that Americans don't have any animosity towards Brazil. But there's no special regard, either. It'll be just like any Olympics hosted in an exotic locale. And unless Phelps unretires, the ratings will be business as usual, as will the ad rates.

Another way the Olympics is supposed to help NBC is to help them launch hit new TV shows that will give them ratings for years beyond the Olympics. So yeah, remember all those hit shows the Vancouver Olympics launched? Heck, remember any hit shows on NBC? There's The Voice... Despite the massive platform of the Vancouver Olympics and the Super Bowl, NBC has failed to launch even a moderately successful regular lineup. That's why outside of sporting events, which NBC loses money on, the network is often in 5th place (after CBS, FOX, ABC and Univision).

When NBC first bought the rights to these Olympics for about 1.2 billion dollars (they also bought the rights to other Olympics as part of a 4 billion + deal), the general consensus was that they paid about 500 million dollars too much. NBC stock immediately tumbled on the news of their imprudent purchase. And now, in an economy that's become much worse, NBC honestly expects anyone to believe they're even close to making a profit on the London games? Please.

Instead, the main effect of NBC's record ratings of these games will be as follows: NBC execs have already publicly stated that the massive ratings are a giant seal of approval for how they've been covering the Olympics. Tape-delays are great! Everybody knowing the results in advance actually boosts ratings, said one delusional exec. Coverage that focuses on American athletes to the complete exclusion of competitors from any other country is the way to go! In the Sochi Olympics, we'll be very lucky to see more than 4 programs in each segment of the men's competition (3 if the US only qualifies 2 men). Scott Hamilton and Sandra Bezic will be politely reminded by the network brass to stop being so nice about non-American competitors (if NBC can force the Russian-born Nastia Liukin to do an anti-Russian gymnastics fluff piece, Canadian Bezic will be made to fall in line as well). If the opening ceremonies contain a performance from the Bolshoi ballet, expect that to be replaced with an interview with Shaun White, because ballet just isn't "tailored for the U.S. audience".

I joke about Wheaties, but Mary Lou was the first American to go AA. I winder what she got in 84.

"Also, "she's signed to represent the overall P&G brand, as well as our beauty brands (Olay, Pantene, CoverGirl, Secret)," a P&G spokesman told Ad age in an email.

"The P&G and Kellogg deals will likely preclude competing personal care and food brands from making similar deals. But other categories seem wide open, such as apparel, Mr. Andrews noted. Still, he added, she is not likely to reach the sponsorship saturation of Mary Lou Retton, whose stardom and endorsement power lived on for years after becoming the first American woman to win all-around gold at the 1984 Olympics."

Mary Lou Retton's agent was Shep Goldberg. A decade later he took on another famous athlete, Michelle Kwan. By this time Mary Lou had been out of the public spotlight for quite a while and she felt that Goldberg was devoting too much attention to Kwan and not enough to her, so she switched agents.

Well, they got something from the Mitt Romney campaign for the ad with Kristi Yamaguchi praising Romney for how well he ran the Salt Lake City Olympics.

I think Kristi was mad because President Obama invited the Shibutanis to lunch with the Japanese Prime minister and and not her.

In gymnastics news, total shocker: McKayla Maroney sat down on her second vault during the second vault finals, total freak accident. She still scored well enough for a silver. But the woman widely acknowledged as the greatest vaulter ever will not be an Olympic champion on the apparatus. And while vault specialists have longer lifespans than other types of gymnasts, it remains to be seen if team USA in 2016 will still have room for her if she wants that gold. I wouldn't be too pressed, though, if I were her. She's already shown the world her Amanar in its perfect form in the much higher profile team finals event.

In floor, Zou Kai won floor with a more difficult and varied routine than silver medalist Kohei Uchimura. Uchimura's form, though, was breathtakingly perfect as always.

In pommel horse, top qualifier, Briton Louis Smith, kept the crowd riveted as he was the very last one to go! He performed his routine perfectly. He tied with Krisztián Berki of Hungary in total score. However, Berki had the higher execution score, which was the tiebreaker, and Smith had to settle for silver. Can't disagree, though. Berki's form on the pommel horse was unbelievable, just starkly superior to everybody else. With a difficulty score just .1 below Smith's, the results make sense. The British crowd must have still felt extra jubilant, as Max Whitlock, another Briton, who only qualified in 8th (the cutoff) for the apparatus, did the routine of a lifetime and won bronze!

Interestingly, NBC showed a little retrospective of Olga Korbut from the 1972 Olympics this afternoon. I had forgotten how delightfully graceful her routines were, especially her floor routine. Of course the difficulty level in those days was much lower, so there was more possibility to execute a routine close to perfectly. (Except for the moment when Olga had a near-complete meltdown on the uneven bars in the All-Around.) But nowadays, I watch with my heart in my mouth most of the time. I still have my blood pressure only because this year my time zone lets me see the results before I sit down in front of the TV screen. Otherwise I'd find it terrifying to watch some of those routines.

Well, they got something from the Mitt Romney campaign for the ad with Kristi Yamaguchi praising Romney for how well he ran the Salt Lake City Olympics.

I think Kristi was mad because President Obama invited the Shibutanis to lunch with the Japanese Prime minister and and not her.

Hi, Mathman,

I know that you're joking about Yamaguchi feeling left out of the Japanese PM opportunity.

But thought you'd be interested and pleased to know that Kristi Yamaguchi ‏@kristiyamaguchi recently tweeted about participating in the Tomodachi program, which Sec. Clinton had referenced at the event to which the Shibutanis were invited:

Interestingly, NBC showed a little retrospective of Olga Korbut from the 1972 Olympics this afternoon. I had forgotten how delightfully graceful her routines were, especially her floor routine. Of course the difficulty level in those days was much lower, so there was more possibility to execute a routine close to perfectly. (Except for the moment when Olga had a near-complete meltdown on the uneven bars in the All-Around.) But nowadays, I watch with my heart in my mouth most of the time. I still have my blood pressure only because this year my time zone lets me see the results before I sit down in front of the TV screen. Otherwise I'd find it terrifying to watch some of those routines.

Oh I watched that too, was so entertaining, and very cute to see what was done 40 years ago compared to the craziness of today's gymnastics. He form was so perfect and I love her smile, a true entertainer, she totally changed gymnastics.